DMHC licenses first

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The Family Care plan will offef discounted access to a rangrof physician, pharmacy, outpatient (such as physical therapy and mental health), radiology and imaging, dental, vision and hearing-care services. The program will offer membershipl to a household fora $99 enrollment fee and a monthlhy charge of $99.95, according to DMHC, with discounts rangingt from 5 to 40 percent for most However, the Houston-based health plan’s initial licenses is only valid for two years, reflectingt caution on the part of the Sacramento-basec agency, which previously has cracked down on various discoung health-care card companies in the state.
Familg Care is licensed to operatethroughout Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Napa, Santqa Cruz, Solano, Orange and San Diego counties, as well as the most populatee areas of Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and 41 otherr counties, according to the department, and a number of localo providers are already listedr on its www.familycarecalifornia.com web site. The DMHC said the economic environmengt played a role in its decision to approveFamily Care’s application for a license.
Thanke to the continuing economic downturn, which has resulted in many individualse and families losinghealth coverage, “igt is in the best interest of consumers to regulate and licenss legitimate discount health plans,” Cindy Ehnes, the DMHC’ s director, said in a June 9 statement. She added that licensure will ensure that consumerxs will get promised discountsand “fully understand that thess products are not health insurance.” In the last six the agency’s Help Center has receivefd more than 925 complaintas from consumers who were victims of fraudulent discoun t health card companies, the DMHC said.
Thoses consumers were misled into thinking they were purchasing regular health insurancs or were unable to find doctors who supposedly had contracte d with thediscount company. The DMHC said it has issued several Cease and Desist orderw in an ongoing investigation into thisgrowing industry, which in turn led to settingh up a licensing structure to protect consumeras and provide state oversight. As a some companies decided to seek licenses provinhg they metregulatory standards.
The currentr licensing requirements include verification ofdiscountsz offered, legitimate contracts with doctors and otherf health care providers, truthful advertising, and a process for consumers to resolve disputesd with the plan, according to DMHC. Plana also must prominently disclose that they are notofferinvg insurance, but rather a discount product through which memberzs pay providers a discounterd fee, usually at the time of service.
Family Care’z web site displays such a statement at the bottom of eachweb